A wide variety of welding machines are used to perform a variety of welding functions in the workplace. Typically, a welding machine includes a welder housing which encases a welding circuit. On the welding housing there is typically a series of control switches to control the output of the welder. The welder housing also includes a connector for a welding gun or torch. Depending on the type of welder and/or the magnitude of the current generated by the welder, various types of accessories are connected to the welder or used in association with the welder. The accessories can include welding gases, shielding gases, cooling fluids, consumable electrodes, and the like. In addition to the various accessories associated with a particular welding operation, the welder requires tools to facilitate in the maintenance and operation of the welder. Such tools can include wrenches, screw drivers, wire cutters, welding tips, tape, clamps, etc. The use of these various accessories and tools require a welding operator to carry a tool chest for the various tools used with the welder, and to also separately transport the welding gas and/or shielding gases, the cooling fluid, welding cable, welding gun or torch, and/or electrodes. As a result, the initial set up of a welder in a particular location and/or the movement of the welder to various locations is both difficult and time consuming. In addition, there sometimes is difficulty finding a suitable location for all the accessories used with the welder. Commonly, welding operations take place in small locations and/or on unlevel ground. As a result, it is sometimes difficult to find a suitable location to position the welder and the various accessories about the welder so that a welding operation can proceed.
Many welders include a welding cable which attaches the welding gun or torch to the welder. This welding cable is typically several feet long. When a welding operation is terminated and/or the welder is to be moved to another location, typically, the welding cable is bunched up into a pile about the welder and/or placed on top of the welder. Bunching up the welding cable can result in damage to the fluid tubes and/or electrical connections inside the cable. In addition, laying the welding gun or torch on the ground and/or placing the welding gun or torch on the top of a welder can result in damage to the welding gun or torch if the welding gun or torch is inadvertently stepped on and/or falls off the top of the welder. During the transport of the welder to various locations, the welding cable typically must be disconnected from the welder and separately transported, since there is no convenient manner of transporting the welding gun or torch and welding cable with the welder without exposing the welding cable and welding gun or torch to damage.
In view of the present state of the art of welders, there is a need for a welder or welding assembly which can easily and conveniently transport one or more welding accessories associated with the welder to reduce the burden and time of set-up and the time necessary to transport the welder to a new location.